1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for reconditioning soils contaminated by heavy crude, refined petroleum and/or chemical products derived from similar sources.
2. Description of Prior Art
With the escalation cost of oil and strict government regulations concerning the disposal of contaminants, there exists a need to provide a system which can recondition contaminated soils to extract therefrom oil particles or other mineral particles that may be re-used and further to obtain an end product which may be conveniently disposed of without contaminating the environment. Environmental problems are numerous in the areas occupied by oil and petrochemical refineries. Most refineries have a common complex problem, that being, the disposal of contaminated soils during the construction phase as well as the disposal of material presently stored in open sludge lagoons containing off-spec material, sludge from tank cleaning, or filter process clays discharged during regular refinery processing. Another need is to process soils from oilimpregnated shore lines resulting from tanker oil spills or spills from other types of vessels or even chemical discharge into water effluents such as rivers.